Frank Morgan and June Brewster are just two of the superb character actors in BOMBSHELL (1933). Image via Doctor Macro

When you re-watch your favorite films, what keeps you coming back for more? A great story with sharp writing? No doubt. Beautiful costumes, swanky set designs, and stunning cinematography? Most assuredly. But the performances are key to any movie. While we all look forward to the popular leading actors, it is the stand-out, scene-stealing supporting actors that feel like “home.”

For the 7th consecutive year, we as the blogathon hosting trio of Aurora of Once Upon A Screen and @CitizenScreen, Kellee of Outspoken & Freckled and @IrishJayhawk66, and myself, Paula of Paula’s Cinema Club and @Paula_Guthat invite you to join us for the WHAT A CHARACTER! BLOGATHON 2018, December 14, 15, 16, as we pay tribute to the brilliance of the supporting players.

Our objective for the What A Character! Blogathon has always been to shed the spotlight on these lesser-known but equally talented thespians, whose names usually appeared below the title. If you wish to salute your favorite onscreen character actor — who excelled as quirky maid, ornery hotel manager, frustrated maître d’, sassy best friend, hot-tempered heavy, flabbergasted father, sarcastic sidekick, grumpy boss, or gobsmacked butler — then you’ve come to the right place. Please review the guidelines below first, and leave me a comment.

Let at least one of the hosts know which character actor is your choice.

Don’t take it for granted we know exactly who you are or where your blog resides – include the title and URL of your blog, and also your Twitter handle if you have one.

We will not accept repeats (previously published posts), or duplicates, since there are so many greats worthy of attention, but your choices are not limited to classics.

You can choose any character actor from any era and from the medium of television, which has featured talented regulars since the beginning and continues to do so.

Publish your WAC! post on either December 14, 15, or 16, 2018. Let us know if you have a date preference; otherwise, we’ll split publicizing duties equally among the three days.

Please include one of our banners (see below) within your What A Character! post.

Additionally, please include one of the WAC! 2018 event banners included in this post on your blog post itself to help us promote the event.

The last thing, please send any of us the direct link to your post once you have published it. Searching on social media sites can lead to missed entries.

Here are the spectacular banners Aurora has created for you to add to your blog…

This year’s WAC! Blogathon is dedicated to the memory of two very fine character actors whom we lost this year. Vanessa Marquez (1968 – 2018) was an extraordinary actress on screen and stage, and an even better friend. She is greatly missed and we continue to hold her close in our hearts. James Karen (1923 – 2018) was a hard-working actor with more than 200 credits to his name. He was a personal friend of Buster Keaton, and a frequent and approachable attendee of the Buster Keaton Celebration in Kansas and the TCMFF.
Thank you to Turner Classic Movies for the tagline inspiration and to all you bloggers and film fans for your ongoing participation and support for seven years running! And a big shoutout to my fellow co-hosts who inspire me all year long and for being such marvelous and lovely characters themselves!

Hullo! This is such a lovely blogathon! May I please partake and write about Hattie McDaniel in Gone with the Wind and Marjorie Rambeau in Torch Song? My blog is https://palewriter2.home.blog/ and my twitter handle is noir_or_never.

Hi Paula, I’ll have my post on Thomas Mitchell up later today. I hate that I’ve become a last-minute poster, but life conspires…. Anyway, what’s the latest I can notify you that it’s up and make your roster/promo? (If I’m not already too late, that is…) Thanks!